Galaxy of Glass
by nordydrawsstuff
Summary: Starting at the Interstellar Academy, Jim hopes for an affluent future. Things take a turn when pirates attack the academy. After Silver returns with a ship and crew to rescue Jim and his peers, news of a pirate war strikes the Empire. The cause of the pirate war: the search for a priceless, unknown energy source that could revolutionize the galaxy.
1. Chapter 1

Warm sunlight washed over the rocky mining grounds, highlighting the machinery. Rays of sunlight peeked through the overcast sky. The clouds slowly dissipated until the sun vibrantly shined. The peace was quickly sliced by a soaring craft and a thrilled howl.

Jim threw his head back as the wind blasted his face. He swerved his solar surfer to the right and ascended a steep plateau. He pressed his foot back, swiftly lowering the sail. Adrenaline rushed as gravity took hold and pulled him back. He let the abrupt force weigh him down until he was a decent distance from the ground. He reached out to a large, polished pole and launched himself forward as he quickly stepped back, releasing the sail. He gripped the sail's handle and dove down to the ground. Before he could crash into the terrain, he eased the solar surfer down and landed it on the ground.

A pair of wide eyes gawked at him. A girl slouched back as the boy beside her sprung up with an enthusiastic fist in the air. A gelatinous pink blob floated eagerly and bolted towards Jim with welcoming chirps.

"Damn, Jim, you really gave that old thing some updates, huh?" the boy exclaimed.

Jim chuckled as he pushed back his windblown hair. "Yeah, I guess."

"Never seen you not wanting death, Hawkins," the girl teased as she leaned forward with a grin.

"Yeah, Hailey's right, never seen you actually enjoy yourself."

"Things are different, Kyle," Jim leapt off the surfer and approached the other teens. He barely got a step off before the little creature gave him a sloppy lick on the cheek. "Cut it out, Morph," he laughed.

Morph hovered over Jim with wide, curious eyes. Hailey propped her feet up on a stray piece of machinery.

"I mean, you did find a mysterious planet that was thought to be a legend, so I'm ironically surprised," Hailey said, "and you haven't gotten arrested in, what, six months? That's a record, Hawkins."

"Give the guy a rest," Kyle retorted, "he's redeemed himself pretty well."

Jim rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Hailey stood up and put her hands on her hips. She pouted while she scrutinized Jim. "You also don't look like the undead for once, too."

Jim shrugged a shoulder. "It's good to be alive."

"Don't doubt it." Hailey replied. She kicked at the ground as she strode over to the solar surfer. "So," she started, gesturing to the craft, "you going to take her for another spin?"

"Not until I get some extra parts," Jim responded.

Morph swirled towards Hailey and Kyle. He giddily swirled around them while Jim got below his solar surfer.

"It's already pretty decked out, Hawkins," Hailey scoffed. "What else do you need?"

Jim fiddled with a few of the cables at the bottom of the surfer. "Just some more of these cables." he slid out from underneath and stood back up, facing Hailey. "And I'll be flying so fast, that I'll make my way across the planet in ten seconds."

Hailey jutted her hip to the side. "Hmm, can't wait for you to prove that, loser."

"I'll prove it."

"Sure." Hailey brushed back her bangs as she approached her brother. "Hey, Kyle!"

Kyle's head shot out from the other side of the solar sail, as did Morph's. Hailey signaled to him and both her brother and the pet hurried to the other two.

"Hey, kid, you cool with going to tell Mom that I'll be back later. Going to help Hawkins here get some crap."

Kyle sighed. "I want to come with."

"Kyle," Jim stood beside his friend, "it's fine. I'll show you how to fly one of these when it's finished. Sound cool?"

The younger boy's eyes lit up. He looked back at Hailey with a demonic smirk. "Well then, see you _losers_ later!" He said with a salute before he bolted away.

Morph burst out in squealing laughter. Hailey snarled under her breath.

"Hey!" she shouted. "That's my job!"

Jim laughed as Hailey turned back to him with a balled up fist. Jim looked down at her hand and then to her fiery amber eyes.

"You _want_ me to punch you?"

Before he could respond, Hailey punched him in the arm. Surprisingly for her small frame, Hailey still knocked the wind out of him. He looked down at the devious girl. Her nose crinkled.

"What?" she asked.

"Are you ready to go or what?"

Hailey puffed out a breath. "Sure, sure. Better get moving, huh?"

"Says the one who wasted five minutes insulting me." Jim muttered loud enough for her to hear.

Hailey slapped him in the arm again. "Hey!"

Jim quickly leapt onto his solar surfer. He raised an eyebrow as Hailey jumped on and threw her arms around his waist. Morph dove into Jim's pocket.

"Okay, I'm on."

Before Hailey could utter another insult, Jim slammed his foot back and the surfer catapulted into the air. Hailey shrieked and wrapped her arms tighter around him. She muttered exhilarated and horrified curses under her breath. They soared for a few minutes before the abandoned mines turned into the small town they knew too well. Jim took a sharp turn into the town with an excited shriek from Hailey. He maneuvered the solar surfer to the ground, to the entrance of a mechanic shop. Before the surfer landed, Hailey sprung off with a hysterical laugh.

"Now I see why you're always riding that stupid thing!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, you definitely earned the courage badge back there." Jim responded as he landed the surfer.

Hailey put her hands on her hips. "You calling me a wuss?"

Jim smiled at her smugly. "Yeah."

Hailey raised a fist, but quickly dropped it to her side. "Fine, I'll let this one slide."

Morph launched out of Jim's pocket as Jim opened the door. The pair entered the shop through a creaky wooden door. An alien with spindly tentacles was passed out at the counter with a book draped over her eyes. Jim chuckled under his breath before turning to find his friend was gone.

"Whoa…" Hailey hummed from a part of the store.

Jim approached her and noticed her gawking at a large gear hung on one of the walls.

"So this is the crap those miners use?" she inquired as she ran her hand along the side of it.

"Yeah, but there haven't been a lot of miners coming in for those lately."

Hailey nodded. "Right."

She pulled her hand away from the gear. Jim stared ahead at the gear.

"Yeah," He rubbed the back of his neck. "Ok, I'm just gonna grab those cables. I'll be right back."

"Take your time, loser." Hailey replied. "We all know this is your equivalent to a fancy jewelry store or something."

Jim rolled his eyes as he walked few aisles to the back. The store always had the same layout, but it made it easy to find whatever he needed. He honed in on the area where the cables were located.

After he plucked the last fine cable, he froze. He pulled his hand back and lowered his head. Morph whined from his side. He proceeded to quickly grab the cable.

"Hey, look, guess who's shoplifting again."

Jim groaned as he got up and turned around. He huffed out a breath through his flared nostrils. Morph chattered anxiously. He kept his eyes off of the fair alien boy as he walked towards the front of the store.

"You just gonna walk out with all those precious pieces?"

Jim's gait stuttered as his teeth clenched.

"You ignoring me, Hawkins?"

Jim kept his eyes focused on the aisle ahead of him.

"Hey!"

An aggressive hand yanked Jim back and spun him around until he faced the pale alien. Morph emitted a high-pitched growl. Jim looked back up at his opponent, doing his best to keep everything under control.

"Look, Ryan," he started. "I'm not here to get in any fights. Just leave me alone."

He turned around, but not before Ryan grabbed him again.

"Think you're so tough, huh?" Ryan chortled.

Jim yanked his arm out of the alien teen's hand. "Leave me alone." He repeated.

"And let the Flounders' get robbed? You're a criminal, a creature of habit!"

"Things are different. Leave me alone."

"Are they really?"

Ryan diabolically grinned as he weaved his way in front of Jim. Morph sunk down to Jim's shoulder with a whimper.

"Hey!"

All eyes shot to the front of the store, where Hailey fumed. Ryan chuckled as he pushed past Jim.

"Hailey Santiago," Ryan started as he welcomingly opened his arms. "Didn't expect to see you h—"

"Shut up, Ryan, and do me a little favor called 'leave him alone or I'll punch you.'" Hailey snapped.

Ryan lowered his head with a frown. "Hailey, I don't get you sometimes. You're smart and pretty, yet you hang around a mindless criminal like Jim." He gestured to the tense human teenager to his side.

Hailey clenched her fists. "At least I'm not a shallow prick!"

"It's got to be a human thing." Ryan scoffed. "I mean, you humans _are_ pack animals."

"Oh, now you're going to be speciesist? Fantastic!" Hailey cried, throwing her arms up in the air.

"Humans _are_ a fascinating species, I must admit."

Jim's tense shoulders loosened as he followed the voice to a neighboring aisle. Jim squinted as he saw the silhouette of a surreal figure, distinctly alien, but also so human that it made one think twice before realizing it. The alien man stood tall and had a piercing, yet warm gaze. He was very tall with close-cropped white hair. A scar marked his forehead, which only made his gaze somewhat more intimidating. He had a few small, rusty gears in his hands.

"I overheard some chatter. Is everything alright?"

Everyone was silent for a few moments.

"No, everything's fine." Jim quickly said.

The alien man shot him a skeptical look before his gaze loosened on the teenager. Jim furrowed his brows as the man's stare lingered. The alien man blinked before returning to his harsh look.

"Sorry about that," he stated. "You just seem familiar."

"It's fine." Jim replied shortly.

The man nodded firmly. "You seem like a fine young man, could I please get your name?"

"Jim."

"Ah, interesting." The man rubbed his chin inquisitively. "And what are you doing here?"

Jim presented the cables. "Just making repairs."

"Oh, so you have a student job at the mines?"

"No, it's more of a hobby." Jim said as he pulled back the cables.

The man bobbed his head. "I see, so you're an engineer?"

Jim fiddled with the cables in his hand. "Never considered myself one."

"Well, if your spending your time working with gears and gadgets, I'd assume you are."

The man hardily patted Jim on the back, nearly forcing the breath out of the teen.

"It's nice getting to know you, Jim. You better run on home though, I caught wind that there might be a storm in the next hour."

Jim nodded dumbly. The man strode into the other aisle, leaving the group of teenagers alone. Jim glanced over at Morph, who had slunk out from behind the teen's back. He looked over at Hailey, who still had her fists balled up. Jim hit Ryan with a final glare as he silently turned around with Hailey and Morph following behind. He headed towards the front counter, held in his shaking breath before letting it out.

He calmly purchased the cables from Mrs. Flounders, the store owner and after exchanging a few sentences of small talk he promptly left with his friend. As they walked down the main road, Hailey roughly tapped Jim on the arm.

"You're leaving tomorrow?" Hailey asked.

Jim nodded with a hesitant smile. "Yeah."

"And when are you coming back again?"

Jim's eyes drifted to the side. "Probably not for two, three months."

"That's not that bad." Hailey turned her head to Jim. "You nervous?"

Jim chuckled. "What makes you think that I—"

Hailey's brows furrowed. Jim looked away as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah, guess I kind of am."

Silence sliced between the friends. Even Morph, who had been babbling rapidly and dashing around had quieted down. Jim shoved his hands in his pockets, feeling his chest twist. He glanced over at Hailey. Her pace eased and she embraced herself, rubbing her bare arms. Jim looked up at the cloudy sky and grunted lowly. Jim pulled off his jacket.

"Here," he said, getting Hailey's attention. "You want this?"

"Nah," Hailey said, quieter than usual. "I'll be…fine…"

Jim flinched at her response. "Hailey, there's something wrong."

"What makes you think that?" she asked.

"I'm not an idiot, you're not acting like yourself."

Hailey's eyebrows scrunched more and her nose wrinkled. She sighed as she looked directly at her friend.

"Look, Jim, I just—" she paused as she slowly turned her head. "—I'm gonna miss you. You've been there for me when nobody else was."

A meek smile crossed Jim's face. "Trust me, you've done more than a lot of people have."

A raindrop fell on the ground. Another few landed in Jim's hair, shoulders, and face. He looked up at the start of a shower.

Hailey walked a few steps ahead before whipping her head around. "C'mon, loser, wanna get home before you get soaked?"

Jim rushed forward, instantly passing Hailey and nearly knocking her over at the same time. He heard her happily growl, "You jerk!" as she quickly caught up to him.

Hailey returned home, barely rained on. Jim had to trek a little further away and by the time he returned home, he was drenched. Morph had taken refuge in his pocket, but didn't seem too affected by Jim's waterlogged clothes. The parrot-like blob's noises were garbled as he peeked out of the pocket and received a pat on the head from his owner. Jim returned his attention to the heavy wooden door and pushed it open.

The inn was cozy, with pleasant heat radiating around the dining area. Morph slunk out of Jim's pocket as he drifted around the teenager.

"Must be nice to be dry, huh?"

Morph giggled as he nuzzled Jim's cheek. The boy slowly crept to the stairs, but he was quickly pulled back into a pair of metallic arms.

"Oh, Jimmy, it's so good to see you again!"

Jim glowered as the robot arms nearly suffocated him. He wrangled out of the arms and faced the wide-eyed robot. Before he could speak another pair of arms wrapped around him. He didn't try to escape the loving, gentle grasp. The arms let him go. He turned to face his smiling mother, Sarah. She brushed away a strand of his damp bangs.

"Looks like it rained on you."

"Yeah," Jim said. "Hailey was the lucky one."

"Hey, sis who is it?" a stern voice called from the kitchen.

"It's just Jim, Emily," Sarah called

A woman with wild red hair and observant green eyes poked her head from the kitchen. "Ah, dammit, James," she groaned. "You're getting the floor wet!"

Before he could say anything, she pointed to the stairs.

"Go get changed. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

Jim looked back at his mother with a meek smile. Sarah shook her head as she stifled a laugh.

"That's Aunt Emily for you," she whispered. "She's right though, go get into something warm and come downstairs."

"Thanks, Mom," Jim replied as he hurried up the stairs.

When he got to the top of the stairs, he ran directly to the guest room he'd taken over for the past few months. Morph hovered alongside him as Jim opened the door.

The room was sparse, with a few belongings he managed to have after the former inn burnt to the ground. Wind gusted into the room from the open window. Jim hurried to the window and shut it, making sure to lock it.

"That's weird," he mumbled. "I swore I locked it."

The teenager thought nothing more of it as he approached the dresser on the other side of his room and took out dry clothing. He pulled the dry clothes onto his freezing body, savoring the newfound warmth. Morph perched himself on top of the dresser, looking away out of courtesy. After he was dressed, Jim sauntered to the door. He turned back, motioning to Morph to join him.

Morph froze in place with a whimper.

The floorboards creaked.

Jim's eyes widened. His heart stopped. He didn't look back, in hopes that he didn't hear that.

"You've got a nice body, has anyone ever told you that?" A feminine voice asked.

Jim spun around with a gasp. A figure in baggy clothing stood at the far end of the room, shrouded by the shadows of the unlit room. The stranger tipped their tricorn hat lower.

"What?" she drawled. "You afraid of the dark?"

Jim backed into the window. "W—who—?"

"Doesn't matter who I am," the girl said. "All I care about is where it is."

Jim gawked at her.

"Don't act stupid," she snapped. "Where is it?"

"Where is what?"

The girl snarled. "Rumor has it that there was a map—a map that led to the legendary Treasure Planet. Am I wrong?"

Jim scowled. "Yeah. You are."

The young woman was silent. The quietness unsettled Jim, as he felt her eyes piercing from under the hat and above her long coat.

"So that's how it's going to be, huh?" she said, stronger than she had before. She drew a hand behind her back. "Maybe I'll have to _get_ an answer out of you."

A glint reflected from her hand. Jim quickly lunged forward, only for the girl to dodge him. He whirled around to a hand thrusting a knife towards his face. He dove down and the girl stabbed the wall. A hand snatched him by the arm. The girl's small, delicate hand had a firm, relentless grip. Jim struggled to shove her off. The teenager kicked back and she grunted. That still didn't get her off of him and he felt a sting on his arm. With a final twist of his arm, the girl released. Jim looked down at the blood dripping from his arm. When he looked up, the girl stood by the window, cackling.

"You put up more of a fight than I thought you would!" she said. "Maybe now isn't the best time for this little visit." She mockingly saluted him as she climbed out the window.

Jim bolted to the window and looked down. The young woman ran from the base of the inn and to a longboat tied up a few feet away. Jim's attention quickly averted to his bloody arm. He cursed under his breath as he pressed down on it and made his way to the neighboring bathroom. He opened up one of the cabinets and extracted a medical kit. The teen wrapped up his arm with gauze until blood didn't seep through.

"Damn, that's deeper than I thought," he mumbled as he stood up.

Jim lumbered out of the bathroom. A series of affectionate licks covered his face, but abruptly stopped to a low whine. Morph's eyes directed at Jim's bandaged arm.

"It's okay, Morph, I just—my arm got caught on a gear, that's all."

Morph's eyes still lingered, but the blob drifted to Jim's side and nestled down on his shoulder. Jim walked back to his room. Fortunately, there weren't any bloodstains and he didn't need a lecture about it from Aunt Emily. Before leaving, Jim double-checked that the windows were closed and he walked out of the room.

Before he could walk down the last step, B.E.N. sprung in front of him with a gasp.

"What was going on up there?"

"W—nothing!" Jim replied quickly.

"There was _something_ going on, don't hide it!" the robot exclaimed.

Jim looked up to his mother and aunt eying him watchfully. Aunt Emily put a hand on her hip.

"Are you sure, because it sounded like something happened," Sarah added.

Jim nodded. "Yeah, I know, I just accidentally knocked something over. It's fine."

Aunt Emily kept her eyes on him as he approached the table. He took a plate from his mother's hands.

"It's okay, Mom, I've got it."

"Oh, thanks," she chuckled.

Sarah continued to the other side of the table, passing her sister. Aunt Emily grabbed Sarah by the arm and whispered in her ear. Jim didn't catch what she said, nor did he catch what his mother's response was. As Jim finished setting the table, Sarah came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him. She grasped him tight.

"I'm going to miss you."

At first, the sudden embraced shocked Jim, but he turned around returned the gesture. He let it seep in as the realization struck him. Sarah let him go, pushing back as she looked up at her son.

"I can't believe you're leaving tomorrow," she said softly. "And that you're going off to the Interstellar Academy."

"Yeah, it's gonna be different." Jim said.

"Different? Jim, it's an _honor_ to be not only accepted but _recommended_ to that Academy." Sarah embraced her son again, this time her voice wavered, "I always knew you'd do something great. I'm so proud of you."

Sarah embraced him a second time. This time, warm droplets fell on Jim's neck. Sarah lingered longer this time, clinging tighter than she had before. The rambling mumbles from Morph and the boisterous banter from B.E.N. ceased. Sarah pulled away and cupped her son's face in her hand.

"I hope I've told you that." Sarah said delicately

Jim leaned into her hand. "You did. A lot."

Sarah quickly grabbed her son and kissed him on the forehead. "Congratulations, Jim."


	2. Chapter 2

The docks bustled with hundreds of alien species, all conglomerated in front of their respective crafts. Several ships lined the docks of Cresentia, each serving a different purpose: cargo ships, passenger liners, and even an occasional galleon. Jim kept his focus on finding the right ship. His mother joined in the search, occasionally asking B.E.N. if they had the correct dock number, while Morph danced around euphorically. The group continued down the dock. Sarah stopped part way and took her son by the shoulder.

"Look, there it is," she whispered.

The Interstellar Academy vessel was docked in front of them. The ship was smaller than Jim expected, but it could have been more spacious. A solemn young man was stationed in front of the ship. Sarah grinned excitedly at her son as the group moved to the ship.

"A new cadet?" the young man said with a surprisingly gently voice.

Jim nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Interesting…" the man said as he inspected the teenager. He held out his hand. "I'm Lieutenant Harris, upperclassman at the Interstellar Academy."

Jim took his hand and shook it firmly. "James Hawkins."

Lieutenant Harris' eyes lit up. "James Hawkins, the young man who found Treasure Planet?"

"Yes, sir." Jim said as both he and the lieutenant pulled their hands back.

Harris dipped his head. "Ah yes, Captain Amelia recommended you."

"She did—I mean, yes, sir."

Harris chortled. "I think you'll make a fine spacer, cadet." He moved aside and motioned Jim to board the ship.

Jim turned back to his mother and threw his arms around her. Sarah hugged him back, with a light, maternal giggle.

"I'll miss you," she whispered.

"I'll miss you too."

They let each other go. Jim slung his luggage over his shoulder boarded the ship. He glanced back at his mother and the robot with a small smile and a wave. Morph was nowhere to be seen. Jim figured he was probably hiding, like he usually did.

Once he was inside the ship, a young officer approached him.

"Hello, cadet, put your baggage with the others and head to the deck," he said, pointed at Jim's measly excuse for baggage.

"Yes, sir."

Jim went to where the other luggage was and set his down towards the back. He rushed back to where the young man was.

"Did you set it down, Cadet?"

"Yes, sir."

"Very good," the young man gestured to the deck. "Head up to the deck, we'll be embarking shortly."

Jim ascended to the deck of the ship, and looked around in awe. Several students around his age were casually conversed with each other, forming into small groups. A few of the other students were by themselves, particularly a girl with her nose deep in her book. Jim walked past the other students as his attention focused on the vast Etherium.

Something slammed into Jim and knocked the wind out of him. The teenager gaped at the lumbering alien who turned back to him. The giant, bear-like alien raised an eyebrow.

"Huh, you new here?" he asked with a slight accent.

"Yeah."

"Oh, cool." The alien boy held out his hand. "I'm Edwards, Gerard Edwards."

Jim firmly shook Gerard's hand. "James Hawkins. But when the drill sergeants aren't kicking our asses, call me Jim."

Gerard smirked. "I think we're gonna get along just great." He leaned back on the side of the ship. "So, assuming you're from Montressor."

"Yeah."

Gerard rolled his eyes. "I'm surprised humans like you are able to survive in that constant rainy weather." The boy paused. "Wait, you are a human, right?"

"Yeah, I'm human."

"Whew, good." Gerard collapsed into the side of the ship. "Last time I assumed someone was human, I got a good slap to the jaw."

Jim cringed. Gerard chuckled heartily as he slumped upright.

"It was actually kind of amusing, but painful nonetheless," he said as he rubbed his cheek. He turned back to Jim with a sly twinkle in his eyes. "You know anybody on deck?"

Jim shrugged. "No."

"Well then—" Gerard took Jim by the arm with a wide grin. "—Fortunately for you I know a good few people on this here vessel."

Jim stumbled at the young man's quick, excited pace. Gerard kindly parted through groups of huddled cadets, dragging his new friend along. Jim suddenly tripped over his own feet, launched from Gerard's firm grip, and collided with another cadet. He quickly caught his footing. He spun around to see scrunched up face of a tiger-like alien girl glaring at him.

"Sorry about that," he quickly exclaimed. "You okay?"

Gerard turned back with a sudden gasp. "Oh crud, are you okay, miss?" He reached out to help the girl.

The alien girl breathed in and let it out through her nose.

"I'm fine," she snapped solemnly.

She stood fully upright as she straightened out her jacket. When she turned back to the other teenagers, her face transitioned from a harsh scowl to a dignified look.

"Hmm," she started. Her eyes scanned Jim's body. "I'm assuming you're both cadets."

"You'd be right," Gerard chirped.

"Yes." Jim replied.

The girl bobbed her head and looked to the side.

"Alright. If that's the case—" she held out her hand. "—I'm Kate Blake."

Jim took her hand. "Hawkins, James Hawkins."

"And I'm Gerard Edwards! Please," Gerard butted in, taking Kate's hand in place of Jim's. "Call me Gerard."

"It's a pleasure to meet you boys," Kate said as pulled her hand back.

"Hey, look, I'm sorry about what happened." Jim quickly added. "I don't want to cause any trouble."

Kate folded her arms across her chest with a smirk. "Apology accepted."

Jim shoved his hands in his pockets. "Thanks."

Kate's raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're on the right ship, Hawkins?"

"Yes," Jim retorted.

Kate put a finger to her lips and shrugged. "Looks are deceiving, I guess."

"What are you trying to say?" Jim asked. His body tensed as the girl tilted her head with another frown.

Before Kate could say anything more, someone else shoved through the sea of cadets. Jim glared down the pale newcomer.

"Kate," Ryan said enthusiastically. "It's been a while."

Kate turned away and remained stern. "We've been over this, Ryan."

"I understand, but can't a guy be glad to see an old friend of his?" he asked. "Montressor's been rough and all. It's always raining and dreary. By the way, how's Poseidos Academy? Any annoying freshmen?"

Kate let out an aggravated sigh.

"Ryan, I don't have time for small talk, we're getting close to the academy."

"Right," Ryan chuckled. "Don't want the drill sergeants screaming your ear off _too_ much."

Ryan's pale eyes drifted from Kate, to Gerard, and finally landed on Jim. The boy's lips twisted into a warped smile. He circled around Jim, until he was to his back.

"Hey, Hawkins, long time, no see." He said as he slammed his hand into Jim's back. "So you made it onto this ship after all."

"Yeah," Jim snarled. "I did."

Ryan laughed lightheartedly. "I'm surprised they still let you in."

"Wait, wait, wait," Gerard interrupted, waving his hands. "What in the Queen's name are we talking about here?"

"We're talking about good old Hawkins here."

Ryan wrapped his arm around the fuming teenager. Jim wrestled out of Ryan's death grip.

"Don't do that," he said.

"What?" Ryan exclaimed. "All I'm doing is introducing you _for_ you."

"I'm fine with introducing myself," Jim replied calmly with a hint of roughness in his voice.

Silence penetrated the conversation. The teens stared at each other with different expressions. Kate remained serious, but had a trace of confusion. Ryan proudly wore his smug smile. Gerard's eyes darted between the other cadets, probably on the verge of asking questions. Jim couldn't determine how he felt about the situation. The humiliation and frustration of Ryan's presence felt like he was balancing on a cliff, trying to contain himself. Jim kept his eyes on Ryan as he quietly turned around. A pair of heavy footsteps joined his side as he continued to an empty part of the deck.

Jim hunched over the side of the ship. He tried to focus on something other than the heat rising to his face. The ship was passing by a small, distant planet shrouded in a bright, colorful nebula. Jim ran a hand through his hair and let out a shaky breath.

"What's up with the creepy guy back there?" Gerard asked.

Jim shook his head. "You don't want to know."

"Ah," Gerard said as he leaned more forward and clasped his hands together. "He seems like a pretentious jerk."

"You aren't wrong," Jim chuckled.

"Looks like you just had the strangest encounter with Kate Blake, huh?"

Jim looked up at the giant teenager in confusion. "What's so big about this Kate?"

Gerard gawked at him. "You realize who Kate Blake's _father_ is, right?"

Jim stared at the other teen and slowly shook his head.

Gerard slapped a large hand to his face. He paced around in the same spot, muttering frantically to himself before he pivoted back into place, facing Jim.

"Admiral Isaac Blake? Ring a bell?"

It took a moment for the name to settle into Jim's jumbled head. As soon as the name rang familiarity, his eyes widened. He cursed under his breath and looked back in hopes that Kate wasn't mercilessly glaring him down. She had moved on to a conversation with a group of other cadets with Ryan butting in every so often. She barely looked back at Ryan, all but once, when she addressed him with a cold, austere look.

"At least she doesn't seem to interested in Jerkslap McGee," Gerard said. "So I suppose that's a good thing."

Jim silently stared at the girl. He slapped a hand to his face. "I'm such an idiot," he mumbled.

"Now, don't beat yourself up," Gerard said gently. "Rumor has it she won't have a problem with you if you're a decent person. After that jerkslap guy, I think you're solid. Good to go!"

Jim glanced back at Gerard. "Thanks," he said.

Gerard shrugged happily. "It's what I do, Jim. It's what I do."

* * *

Jim watched in a light trance as the Etherium soared past. Gerard remained at his side, babbling about his home on a different planet. Most of the details became muddled as the teenager continued watching the stars and planets pass by. Eventually, a hazy structure appeared over the horizon. The ship slowed down as it entered a busy port not too far away. Jim gazed in awe at the titan building just beyond the docks. The ship pulled into the furthest dock from the structure and eased into it. As soon as the ship came to a halt, Jim felt Gerard's hand slam into his back.

"What a beaut," he hummed, also staring at the marvelous building.

"Yeah, pretty amazing, huh?" Jim replied.

"Sure is."

A horn blared, immediately catching Jim's attention. He, along with his new peers, spun around to face a cold-faced woman with tendrils for hair. She glanced around with sharp, intense eyes at each of the cadets. Beside her was Lieutenant Harris, this time appearing sterner than his initial presentation.

The teenagers quickly assembled into a line. Jim and Gerard, being the furthest from the group, rushed more towards the middle. They managed to quickly find holes in the line up and settled not too far from each other. The alien woman approached the cadets with a proud stance.

"Good afternoon, officer cadets," she announced.

"Good afternoon, ma'am," the teenagers replied in unison.

The alien woman squinted as she scrutinized the cadets.

"I first must congratulate you all on being accepted to Interstellar Academy," she said. "And with that I welcome you. I wish you all good luck with you time here and enjoy your time at this academy."

As the woman turned around with Lieutenant Harris, a voice hollered, "Get off the ship!"

The teenagers instantly bolted in the direction of the ramps. Jim followed closely. As each of the students hurriedly disembarked, they lined up to a series of copper tiles each set up in a straight line. Jim watched as the other cadets stepped on a tile. He took one towards the center of the line as two other teenagers filed beside him. Jim's eyes darted around. Everyone stood perfectly still, staring ahead. Jim looked ahead, feeling the drill sergeants pacing around the group.

There were two drill sergeants, one who was a prominent, empty-faced alien man with features similar to Ryan's species. The other was a birdlike alien woman who seemed equally, if not colder than the man. They shouted commands that were nearly incoherent. Jim mostly had to rely on his peers and what they were doing combined with the nearly incomprehensible words spewed from the sergeants' mouths. Jim kept his expression vacant, no different than he'd been wearing it years before. He followed the formation as perfectly as possible and with surprising success. He tried not to cringe each time another student would be mercilessly barked at by one of the drill sergeants, particularly by the alien woman. Her voice was the most unforgiving noise that Jim had ever heard.

The male drill sergeant confronted Gerard, who was two spaces in front. Just from the back, Jim could tell he was trying not to recoil from the man's booming voice. Thankfully, the man left Gerard alone after a few seconds and moved onto a different student.

"Keeping your eyes off the prize, officer cadet?"

Jim nearly turned his head to the woman's sharp, hissing voice, but kept his eyes focused on a point far in the distance. Suddenly, fingers wrapped around his rattail. He was ready for her to yank his head back in disdain, but she gently let it go.

"We're taking that off soon enough," she said.

She walked away, probably ready to scream at someone else. The female drill sergeant approached Kate, who was at the front of the line. Kate replied back to the sergeant's commands with strength and austerity that Jim couldn't imagine anyone else his age owning. Then again, she was Admiral Blake's daughter and Ryan had mentioned a previous academy.

Several minutes passed, seeming like hours of following commands of where to stand, what position to stand in, and other such demands. The female drill sergeant's voice penetrated the few moments of silence.

"Grab your bags!" she shouted.

The teenagers instantly rushed into the ship, frenziedly grabbing their luggage. Jim quickly snatched his up, threw it over his shoulder, and hurried off the ship. The teens lined back up in formation as the drill sergeants aggressively led them down a long road.

The trip must have taken ten minutes. That meant ten minutes of violent words from the drill sergeants followed by strict order in the line up. After those grueling ten minutes, Jim glanced up in awe at the massive building. The drill sergeants commanded the students to enter the building.

The foyer of the Interstellar Academy was intricately ornate with glass ceilings that towered over the young cadets. Decorative white wood carvings with golden leaf lined the velvet red painted walls. Busts of significant admirals and government figures were positioned along the sides of the foyer, including Queen Cassiopeia at the end of the foyer. It seemed too beautiful to be a place where young navy cadets would be trained.

While glancing around at the grand display, Jim looked back down as his peers came to an abrupt halt. His eyes wandered to a group of teenage girls, garbed in different uniforms than the cadets were. They must have been the academic students, possibly astronomers based on the textbooks that they cradled in their arms.

The cadets resumed their march as they were led down several halls, each just as decorated as the other. The drill sergeants directed them to a door that opened into an empty auditorium. The students remained standing as they formed several lines throughout the auditorium. They faced the stage with an empty podium. Jim kept his eyes focused on the podium in an attempt not to gawk at the Academy's impressive scale. Silence overcame the students as a tall man with white hair and a scar over his face approached the podium.

Jim's heart stopped.

The man stood before the podium as he bellowed, "Good day, cadets."

"Good day, sir," the cadets responded.

The man nodded. "Very good. I think you'll make fine officers. But you need to prove that you're willing to make sacrifices, fight for the Terran Empire, and go where no one goes. Do you comprehend?"

"Yes, sir."

The man's stern look didn't falter. "Excellent," he said. "For you new cadets, I feel it is necessary to introduce myself." He paused, as he stood taller. "I am Admiral Ian Carson—"

Jim held his breath. _Admiral?_

"—And I would like to welcome you to the Interstellar Academy, the leading institution for the future. Now, as cadets of the Imperial Navy, you'll endure hard, long days in training. It will be competitive and grueling, but that's what you signed up for, so I expect that you'd be aware of that. With that, I also expect you all to consider your academic learning. We want our officers to be educated. You will all have morning classes dedicated to your studies, while your afternoons will be spent in beginner training. Do you all comprehend?"

Admiral Carson's voice muddled with the pounding in Jim's ears. Jim inconspicuously let out a breath as his peers shouted in unison, "Yes, sir." Jim swore he heard the Admiral mention organizing and dormitories, but the sudden, undesired rack of nerves ciphered his words.

"Strive for courage, strive for intellect, strive for excellence."

Admiral Carson's eyes drifted through the crowd of cadets, specifically landing on Jim. Jim froze, but kept a calm exterior. The Admiral stepped back from the podium, only to be applauded by the older officers, followed by the new cadets. Jim watched as Admiral Carson disappeared off stage.

* * *

A/N Apologies for any weird formatting, I haven't used this site before, just so you all know. Hope you all enjoyed!


	3. Chapter 3

Several dormitories surrounded the academy, each housing different levels of students. There were four students to each room and surprisingly one of Jim's roommates happened to be Gerard. The other two, both aliens as well, seemed distant and kept to themselves as soon as all the boys dropped their belongings on the floor. The collection of both medical and physics textbooks made it evident that Jim and Gerard were the only navy cadets.

Jim approached the window to the end of the small room. He pushed back the curtains to unveil the sprawling sight of the Academy. The teen's vision bounced around from building to building. Every one of them must have been deemed as the feat of brilliant architects. They all seemed to be sturdily built, eachmore decorative than the next. Gerard hovered over the smaller human as he looked out as well.

"By the stars," Gerard sighed in awe. "Are we royalty or something?"

Jim chuckled. "We won't be by tomorrow, that's for sure."

"Right, right," Gerard added. "It's fairly different from my home planet though. On Iomaer, we have tall cliffs and rolling hills." He paused. "You know, Jim, I don't understand. I know Montressor's a dreary place, but why the hell would that jerkslap Ryan live there?"

"What're you saying?" Jim asked.

"Well, he said he once went to the Poseidos Academy, which means he's ought to be loaded!"

"Yeah, you're not wrong." Jim pulled away from the windowsill and leaned against the wall.

"Then why in the hell is Ryan Jerkslap McGee on a mining planet?" Gerard exclaimed.

"Simple answer: his parents are always somewhere else in the Etherium so when he's not at some academy, he's living with his Uncle Winston."

Gerard raised his eyebrows. "Oh? Who exactly is 'Uncle Winston' then?"

"Proud owner of the Winston Williams Mines, so basically the only guy giving anyone on Montressor a job."

Gerard's eyes widened. His innocently confused expression altered into an unanticipated harsh scowl.

"Entitled little scamp deserves to get his ass kicked," he growled.

Jim chuckled. "If only."

Gerard sighed as he made his way to his bed. He crashed into it, but didn't seem to sink into the bedding. Jim gazed out the window. The elegant scenery was bewildering from a distance. He couldn't imagine what the grand lofty towers would display up close. Jim paced to the door. Gerard snapped upright as his friend passed him by.

"Hey, where you headed?"

The door creaked as Jim held it open. He shrugged a shoulder with a sly smirk.

"Thought I'd give myself a premium tour," he said. "Wanna join?"

Gerard shook his head. "I'll stay here, you go take a look."

Jim crept out the door with the attempt to not disturb any of his higher officers. He sneaked through the hallways and slid out the main door.

Awe instantly crashed into him as he witnessed the structures in their true glory. Outside of the dorms was a small garden that was perfectly and precisely managed. Some of the plants were close to home, like the delicate flowers that rarely bloomed on Montressor. The other flora was exotic, from reaches across the galaxy. Jim glanced at each one of them as he passed through the garden. He darted to the main walkway that weaved between the academy buildings.

Jim stopped part way and gazed up as the millions of stars that speckled the Etherium. His hands slipped into his pockets and he mapped out the shimmering constellations. A small smile crossed his face as he huffed out a short laugh.

Something rustled to his side.

Jim's head pivoted in the direction of the sound.

"Hello?"

He froze as his eyes bolted around the garden. He searched around some more, this time cautiously approaching the garden. The garden seemed undisturbed with the flowers and shrubbery in flawless order. He let his tense shoulders relax as he headed in the direction of the dorms.

Something crunched behind him.

He spun around with wide eyes.

There was nothing. Jim rubbed his temple with a frustrated groan.

"What the hell…stop being so paranoid!" he growled at himself.

He started back on the same route to the dormitories once again. Once he made it to the door, he glanced over his shoulder.

He instantly remembered the long, tattered overcoat and the tricorn hat shrouding her face, aside from that malicious grin.

Jim blinked a few times. She was gone. He huffed out a sigh as he swung the door open and trudged inside.

* * *

The early sunrise glaring in Jim's face was a painful reminder that it was morning. He groaned as he rolled over and nearly fell out of the bed. Before he could close his weary eyes, a rough hand slapped him on the back. He jolted upright to see Gerard hovering over him.

"What're you doing, Hawkins, they're gonna kick your ass!" he shrieked.

"Wh—"

Before Jim could even ask, a pile of clothes was thrown on top of him. He peeled the white trousers off of his head as he watched the other boy hurriedly buttoning up his jacket. Jim begrudgingly dragged himself out of his bed. After he rubbed his worn eyes, he noticed that their other two roommates had left. Jim looked back at Gerard.

"Gerard, what's going on?" he asked.

Gerard fiddled with the last button. "I don't know, perhaps it's that we're gonna be late!" he exclaimed. "Reminder that it's a _drill day_!"

Jim launched himself out of bed.

"What time is it?"

"Time for you to get moving!" Gerard retorted.

Without hesitation, Jim slid the trousers up his legs, nearly tripping on them as he tried to wrestle in his feet. He frantically threw on a shirt and tucked it into the trousers. He weaved his arms through the sleeves of his jacket adjusted it before Gerard shoved him forward.

"C'mon, c'mon!" he cried. "They're going to _destroy_ you."

"Gerard, it's okay, I'm going," Jim calmly responded as he opened the door.

Gerard pushed past him, flying out the door. He hysterically called out to Jim while waiting by the door. After swiftly pacing down the hall, Jim's eyes fell on the clock hung up in the hall. It read an hour and five minutes earlier than class.

"Gerard," Jim called to him. "Where'd you get the time?"

"From my watch, what do you think? Now c'mon!"

"Did you change it?" Jim asked.

Gerard froze. "Change it? W—what do you…oh!" Gerard clapped a hand for his forehead.

Jim approached him. "Let me guess, you didn't change it so we're an hour early."

The alien boy sheepishly nodded. His lips twisted.

"Don't worry about it," Jim said as he took Gerard by the shoulder. "More time to look around. How's that sound?"

"Oh, yes! I've heard the library's interesting. Extensive."

"What're you, some kind of a nerd?" Jim teased.

"What're you, some kind of a loser?" Gerard retorted.

Jim let out a small laugh. "If you say so, nerd."

* * *

Jim couldn't take his eyes off of the colossal glass dome that showcased the billions of stars that dotted the galaxy. He took a few moments to map some of them out and piece together the different constellations that sparkled in the distance. With the cosmos so close in reach, his situation felt strikingly real.

"Eh, Jim!"

Jim's head swiveled towards Gerard, who was balanced on a sliding ladder. He reached out, plucking books from the shelves with a juvenile grin.

"They've got _everything_!"

Gerard leafed through a book that Jim noticed was a volume dedicated to botany. The alien teen leaned a little further off of the ladder as he passed the book down to Jim.

"See?" he exclaimed. "They have thousands of these, all perfectly organized by author, by year, by subject! It's fantastic, Jim!"

Jim leaned against the table behind him. "Sure is," he replied with an amused smirk.

Gerard picked another book off of the shelf, with another three books following behind it. They crashed onto the carpet below, fortunately landing either on their sides or backs.

"Hey!"

Both of the boys winced at the sharp female voice. Gerard stared ahead, prompting Jim to turn and face the source of the voice.

The girl was small, dressed in an academy uniform as well. Her sharp feline-like eyes were piercing behind her round glasses as they glared at the two cadets. She stomped towards the books and gently picked up each one.

"Of course, some freshman cadets come in here and decide it's a _great_ time to screw around in the library!" she furiously mumbled.

Jim made a move in hopes to help her, but Gerard jumped from the ladder and dashed to the girl's side. Before she could grab the last book, Gerard softly picked it up and handed it to her. She stared at Gerard for a moment. Jim pushed past the chair that blocked him from his friend and the girl.

"Hey, look, we're sorry," Jim said. "We were just looking around."

The girl blinked a few times and stood up. "Still, you were both futzing around with serious literature."

"Ok, seriously, it was an accident," Jim retorted.

"I'm sorry," Gerard added as he approached the girl. "I was just—"

"Just what?" the girl asked as she raised an eyebrow.

Gerard paused as he picked up the botany book. He sheepishly looked at the floor, like a young child, and pursed his lips.

"I was careless and not thinking. I should have taken better care of these beautiful books."

The girl's harsh gaze softened. A soft laugh emitted from her lips.

"You a bookworm too?" she asked.

Gerard rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, that's what they called me back home."

"Nerd," Jim whispered.

Gerard's head whipped back at his friend. A pink glow flushed his cheeks.

"What he's trying to say is that we're sorry and let it happen again." Jim added as he joined the two.

The girl laughed again. "It's kind of rough of me to even assume you're both freshmen. Please, correct me if I'm wrong."

"No, you're right," Jim said. "We're stupid freshmen."

The girl scratched her head, revealing a few pencils weaved within her brown hair. "Well, lucky for you two, I'm a sophomore and _not_ an grouchy upperclassman."

Gerard breathed out. "Oh, thank goodness!"

The girl balanced the books in one arm and held out her hand. "I'm Vivian. Vivian Holst."

"Jim."

"G—Gerard," the other boy stuttered.

"Well," Vivian said as she rearranged the books. "You both have nice names, especially you, Gerard."

Vivian went to the bookshelf and reorganized each book. Gerard silently pointed to himself as his eyes moved to Jim. Jim lightly pushed him by the arm, stifling a laugh. Vivian spun around, prompting the boys to both be still and quiet. She put her hands on her hips and pursed her lips.

"You both look suspicious. Anxious, even."

"No, nervous?" Gerard chortled. "Not at _all_!"

Vivian chuckled again. "If you say so, Gerard." She climbed up a ladder not too far from the previous one. As she perused the titles, she asked, "So what are you? Astronomers? Engineers? Philosophers?"

"We're cadets," Jim responded.

Vivian kept her eyes on the books. "Cadets? Interesting…" she took a hardcover book from the shelf. "Have you started that _grueling_ training yet?"

"Well, no, not yet," Jim said. "But that's what we're waiting for."

Vivian glanced down at the boys with a smug smirk. "Good luck, cadets."

The alien girl dropped down from the ladder and sauntered to one of the tables. Jim and Gerard followed. Jim stayed a little behind in hopes not to hover over her, while Gerard towered over her and bombarded her with questions. Jim's eyes fell upon the glass dome again. He stopped in place. A grand spaceship soared over the dome, prepared to blast off into the galaxy,

"Jim?"

Jim looked back at the aliens. Both of them were turned back, perhaps waiting for him.

"Oh."

He rushed towards them until he was between the two. Out of habit, he let his hands fall into his pockets as the two other teenagers passionately chattered about books that Jim had never heard of. Vivian even gave Gerard a list of obscure books, using one of the pencils lodged into her hair. After persistent book talk that left Jim silent and unfocused, Gerard leaned forward and asked Vivian what study she was attending for.

"Advanced literature, gents," she responded as she tapped Gerard on the nose with one of her many hair pencils. She slid it back into her hair. "It's really good, enjoyable. Plus, I'm both a library assistant _and_ a literature tutor. If you boys need any help in that regard, I'm usually here, in the library, sometimes even sleeping here!"

"Wow, you really like this library, huh?" Jim said.

"Like is an understatement."

Vivian winked at the boys as she continued to one of the many desks stationed throughout the library. She placed the book on the desk.

"I hope you both don't mind, but I have business to go about."

"Of course," Gerard said. "We should probably head to our drills early."

A disgusted scowl crossed Vivian's face. "Ugh, that's right, cadet training." She dropped her chin on top of a pile of books. "Well, best of luck to you boys."

"Thanks, we're gonna need it," Jim muttered loud enough for her to hear.

"You're so sweet, Vivian, it's been great to meet you!" Gerard said with the tilt of his head.

Vivian sat up again, this time as her lips shyly formed into a smile. "It's been wonderful meeting you too. I hope to see you two again."

"Oh trust me, you will," Jim groaned with the thought of textbooks on his mind.

"Yes, indefinitely!" Gerard exclaimed.

Vivian leaned against her fist with a lighthearted giggle. "See you around, gentlemen."


	4. Chapter 4

Jim followed behind Gerard as they both slunk into the training facility. Despite being for cadet training, the shining hardwood floors looked unused. Jim noted the several machines lined up throughout the facility, many of which replicated different aspects of ships. There were set ups for steering, for sails, for general mechanics with features he remembered from the voyage to Treasure Planet.

A few of the other cadets lounged idly on the ground and propped up against the walls. Most of them spoke in a language that Jim didn't understand and, by the furrowed eyebrows on Gerard's face, he couldn't either. As the teenagers wandered down the facility, a familiar girl stood by one of the walls with a textbook in hand. As they walked by, Jim noticed that her eyes had glanced up at him, her eyebrows creased, and her ears perked up. He continued alongside Gerard, keeping his focus off of her.

"Are you afraid of her too?" Gerard whispered tensely.

"W—no!" Jim replied quietly. "Why? Are you?"

Gerard held his breath and nodded.

"Don't be, she's another cadet, like us."

Gerard shook his head. "I—I dunno Jim, those eyes say otherwise…"

Jim shot him a death glare—the one he perfected over several years. Gerard grimaced as he turned away.

"I didn't know you had it in you too," he mumbled. "Now I have to worry about _two_ of you."

As the pair continued down the hall, a few more cadets filed in. There wasn't a clock in sight, but Jim figured it was getting close. The drill sergeant from the day before burst into the room.

"Get in formation!" she screamed.

The teens scrambled from their positions, each forming in a line. Jim detected the drill sergeant's dissatisfaction as she shook her head at the formation her students had carried out.

"What a mess," she exclaimed. "Do you think Admiral Carson would be proud?"

"No, ma'am," the cadets cried in unison.

"Well get your asses in position!"

The cadets instantly organized themselves. Jim followed suit as he was aligned in the correct formation. His gaze wandered to his right. Kate stood tall and alert, more than any of the other cadets appeared to be. Jim refocused on looking ahead. It took some time, after the drill sergeant continually screamed at random students.

"Finally!" she cried. "A _decent_ formation! Make it better next time or suffer the consequences!"

Jim thought of a snarky remark in his head, but kept silent. The alien woman inspected her students before her eyes landed on Jim.

"Pathetic," she growled. "I told you to cut that off! Are you going to get that unnecessary piece of garbage off your head?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Better be off when I see you tomorrow!"

"Yes, ma'am."

The drill sergeant eventually backed away, revealing an alien man with gray skin and beady eyes. The alien man scanned the ocean of cadets before he nodded to the drill sergeant.

"Alright, cadets, hope you're all ready to endure what the spacer's life throws at you!" he shouted. "Any of you know what that means?"

The teenagers fell silent, looking around at each other. Jim glanced at Kate, who stood taller.

"Is anyone going to answer, or no?"

"Being a spacer calls for your courage, your intellect, your instinct, your strives for protecting the Empire." Kate announced.

The alien man folded his arms over his chest and nodded. "Very good," he said. "You'll make a fine spacer, cadet."

Kate remained respectfully silent.

"Anyone else?"

Jim let out a breath. "It's more than protecting the Empire."

Several pairs of eyes fell upon him, including those of the drill sergeant and the alien man. The silence went on for a few seconds more before the man said, "Well, are you going to elaborate or what?"

"It's also about exploration and new findings that can benefit the growth and wellbeing of the Empire."

Again, the alien man nodded. "Good as well. Interesting points. You'll also make a great spacer."

Despite all of the eyes returning to the man and drill sergeant, Jim felt one last pair behind him. He kept his eyes focused on the two austere figures before him. The drill sergeant started going around again with a watchful eye.

"Cadets, I expect you all to have an attitude like your two comrades. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Excellent," the man said. "Now that we have that out of the way, I will be one of your instructors, Captain Janssen, but you will all address me as Captain or sir. Understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Making progress."

An immediate pause followed behind. Jim took that moment to glance over at Kate, who remained stoic and composed.

"With that being said, let's get down to business."

The drill sergeant intervened as she commanded the teens into several drill exercises. Tens of push-ups, sit-ups, and various other harsh physical activities were conducted at the rumble of the drill sergeant's voice. Sweat dripped down the entirety of Jim's body as the physical training persisted.

"In formation! Go!"

Once again, the cadets sprinted into formation, seemingly more cautious of their position. The drill sergeant puffed out her chest.

"Better," she hollered. "But can be modified! Follow the Captain. You have your first drill today!"

* * *

The students were led onto a platform into a giant glass-like sphere that was lifted several stories above the ground. The cadets stayed in their arrangement as Janssen proudly presented the location.

"This is where we'll start our training," he announced. "I'm assuming many of you have never stepped foot into one of these."

Jim gawked at the massive structure, much like the majority of his peers. Janssen grumbled under his breath, something that Jim caught onto as possibly demeaning the students. Janssen shook his hands as he hollered at the youths.

"Pay attention!" He paused as the students' eyes fell on him. "Now that you've all taken a gander, this is our anti-gravity room, to prepare you all for potential safety hazards while flying in the galaxy. And according to your responses, you're going to need a lot of practice."

Janssen stripped from his coat and handed it to the drill officer, who kept it neatly tucked in her arm.

"Muller! Williams!"

A pair of young alien students appeared from behind the cadets. Jim's face twisted when Ryan proudly strode into the arena. They met each other's eyes for a moment. Ryan presented that artificial grin he proudly wore everywhere. It made Jim's lip curl even more.

The captain and upperclassmen continued into the globe and nodded to the drill sergeant. A transparent door glided across the platform and sealed Jansen inside. The man nodded to his comrade, who turned to a control station to the side. She pressed a few buttons and flipped a switch.

Janssen and the students floated off the ground and drifted in anti-gravity with graceful ease. Muller leapt around from corner to corner until she reached for her belt and whisked out a pistol. She shot an artificial laser at Janssen, who in return pulled out his pistol and pounced off of the wall. Ryan followed behind as he drew a pistol from his jacket. He too shot at Janssen. The captain spun, dodging each beam, and pressed himself against the side. He aimed at Muller. She rocketed skyward and clung to the ceiling. A devious smile engulfed her face as she pointed her pistol at Ryan and pulled the trigger.

Before he could dive, the imitation laser struck Ryan in the shoulder and sent him across the globe. The girl's smile widened until she was propelled forward from a blow at the hands of Janssen's pistol. The two students took a moment before the captain bobbed his head with a slight grin. He gestured to the drill sergeant. She pressed a few more buttons and flipped the same switch. The captain and his students fluidly landed on the platform. The glass door slid open.

Ryan and Muller solemnly egressed the sphere and saluted their commanding officer. Janssen scanned the ocean of cadets.

"Alright, I need two volunteers," he said.

The majority of the cadets were paralyzed in place. The offer was tempting, but Jim also stood still. Kate pushed past the students and presented herself to the captain. Janssen raised an eyebrow.

"It appears one of you feels you're ready," he said. "Anybody else or are you all candy asses?"

This was it. Like Kate, Jim parted through the horde of cadets. His peers gawked at him as he strode though. He kept his posture sturdy and kept his eyes directly focused on the captain. Janssen hummed as he inspected the teenager.

"What's your name, cadet?" he asked.

"Hawkins."

Janssen raised his head to the other students. "Each of you will get inside of this anti-gravity bubble, two at a time, to see how we should categorize you. With that, let's have our first two volunteers have a shot at it."

"Before we send you two into the arena, first things first," Janssen said. "Getting too close to the base will set off the servomechanism and cause the pistols to malfunction. Disobey protocol? You'll be reprimanded. Understood?"

Both of the teens nodded attentively.

Janssen reached to his sides and pulled out a pair of simulated pistols. After Jim took his, his gaze settled on his opponent. Her straight face built up as a ferocious grin crossed her face. Jim reciprocated with a similar expression as both he and the girl approached the glass door.

They waited as the door glided across the platform. They stepped in and turned back, simultaneously signaling that they were ready. Janssen took the drill sergeant's position at the control center. He typed in some code and flipped that switch.

Gravity dissipated as both of the teenagers levitated. Kate's intense stare turned into a fierce glare as she pulled out her pistol.

She took the first shot.

Jim lunged to the other side. He pressed against the side of the orb as Kate shot again. He rolled to the other side and launched off of the side. This time, he drew his pistol and took his first shot.

Kate dodged with incredible ease, as she remained midair. She let herself drift to the top, persistently dodging each fire from Jim. She opened fire on Jim once again, with the boy diving from each laser.

At this point, Kate seemed nearly impossible to beat. Her effortless diving and extreme accuracy deemed difficult to attack. Blood coursed through Jim's body as he realized what he had to do. He let his mind shift into a strange survival mode as he leapt down the adjacent sides of the orb. He forced himself onto the ground. Each time gravity defied him, he jumped back down.

The pistol in his hand buzzed. He lifted it up and shot a few times.

The captain bellowed commands, but Jim didn't pay attention to the captain. He paid heed to his sudden position in the arena.

After a few extra shots, Jim noticed the direction of the laser sparked somewhat to the left. Gravity began to take hold, as Jim felt his feet touch the base. Kate plummeted towards the base. She whipped out her pistol and shot again, nearly hitting him. Jim positioned his dysfunctional pistol a little to the left.

He fired.

The beam struck Kate directly in the chest, and she crashed onto to the base. She hastily propped herself up on her hands and knees.

The sliding door swiped open with a fuming Janssen.

"You disobeyed protocol!" he exclaimed.

"And what was I supposed to do? I had a chance and I took it."

Janssen's blazing eyes defused.

"Interesting," he hummed. "Despite disobeying protocol, you're a quick thinker and beyond the basics. I'd say it's quite intelligent." The captain approached the boy and patted him on the back. "Nonetheless, you'll be reprimanded for your inability to obey instructions."

Despite the slightly positive remark, Jim felt figurative daggers being forced into his back. When he glanced back, Kate's previously intense manner turned into something attempting to be calm, yet violent on the other side.

"Blake," Janssen said. "You were pretty remarkable. You're fantastic, especially with obeying protocol. A good congratulations to you."

Kate straightened herself out before Janssen could see her. "Thank you, captain."

"Alright," Janssen asked easily. "Who's next?"

* * *

"Ack, she seems like a difficult one," Gerard sighed.

"Tell me about it," Jim said as he sprawled out on the bed.

Gerard rubbed the back of his neck with a drawn out moan. He collapsed onto his own bed as he stretched out his back.

"Boy, today was grueling, wasn't it?"

Jim rolled his eyes. "Add in Kate hating me it's just _great._ "

"Right, right," Gerard said.

The boys sat in silence for a while. The quiet was suddenly something Jim couldn't help but absolutely savor. His ears sometimes rang from the endless screaming from the drill sergeant, the captain, and every other instructor commanding the navy section of the academy.

"I will admit, it's refreshing to have a few typical classes," Gerard said.

"You really like those, huh?" Jim asked.

"Jim, you don't understand, being in an advanced literature class was a dream for me."

"If you're into books that much, why didn't you choose to be a literature student?"

Gerard's ecstatic beam transitioned into something more lifeless. He turned away. Jim felt something drop inside of him.

"You okay?" Jim asked.

"Oh, yes, I'm alright."

Gerard sat upright again. His smile didn't return as fully as it usually was, but his face brightened a little. Jim sat back up on his bed, only to be scrutinized by his roommate.

"Oh, wow, what's that on your arm?"

Jim looked at him with wide eyes and then down to his arm. A purple bruise flourished on his arm.

He laughed a little as he covered it with his hand. "Kate,"

"Damn, she's really giving you a beating in training!" Gerard exclaimed.

"Fun fact: she hates me."

"You don't bloody say!" Gerard responded. "You let her get away with all that?"

Jim leaned back on his hands. "I'm not really forgiving with her too. If she's gonna treat me like shit, might as well show her."

Gerard pouted his lip and his ears perked up. "That sounds unhealthy."

"At this point, who cares?"

Gerard exhaled as he stood up again. He approached the dresser on the other side of the room, pulling out a pair of nice navy slacks and a smart white shirt. He pulled off his current relaxed pair of pants and pulled on the slacks. He tore the t-shirt off as well and threaded his arms through the formal shirt. A smug grin crossed Jim's face.

"You're going on a date with Vivian, aren't you?"

Gerard spun around. "Wha—no!"

"Sure you aren't." Jim sneered.

Gerard pinched his nose. "Jim, sometimes you piss me off, you know that?"

"I'm aware."

The alien cursed under his breath as he finished buttoning up the shirt. He threw on a courtly jacket and puffed through his nostrils. He pivoted on his heels as he sauntered to the door. As his hand clasped around the doorknob, he spun around and pointed at his roommate.

"Stop looking at me like that! We're just going for a walk!"

"Mhm, have fun, Romeo."

Gerard groaned as he walked out the door.

Jim glanced around the empty room. Eventually, he got up from his bed and walked to the door as well.

He peeked out. It was completely empty. He traveled down the long hall, now somewhat numb to the fantastical engravings in the walls. He entered the communal restroom, which was also empty, and was instantly drawn to the series of mirrors. He checked over his drooping eyes and several bruises that crawled up his arms. He bent over the sink and turned on the cold-water faucet. He let the cool water cascade through his fingers before taking a handful and splashing it on his face. He turned off the faucet and leaned against the sink.

He focused on the bruises again. He pressed his finger into one of them and winced.

"She really got me," he murmured aloud.

He rubbed his hand along his face as he exited the bathroom.

Hollering laughter from the inside of one of the rooms was all that sounded in the hallway. Jim slid his hands into his baggy pockets while he roamed the halls. Eventually, he opened a lavish door and made it into another section of corridors. This hall was foreign, but still resembled the floor his dorm was one.

He heard feminine humored shrieks from behind the doors and just as loud of chattering as the downstairs.

"Huh, walking around, Hawkins?"

Jim groaned at the voice he'd come to know too well.

"What're you here to do? Tell me I'm some kind of a rebellious loser?" he asked roughly.

"Amusing," Kate replied.

"Thanks."

Jim looked back. Kate was also dressed comfortably with her orange hair tied up in a messy bun. Her eyes scanned him as her nostrils flared.

"You look horrible," she said.

Jim slumped forward. "Again, thanks."

"No problem."

Jim shook his head as he pushed by. "Look, I don't want to fight now, I'm going to bed."

As he opened the door, he heard Kate from behind him. "Wow, you're lazier than I thought."

Jim slammed the door. He spun around. "And you're annoying!" he shouted.

"Have you ever looked in a mirror?" Kate hissed.

Jim clamped his fists at his sides. "I'm getting real sick of this shit!"

"You think I'm not tired of your B.S. too?"

Curious heads of girls poked their heads from the doors. Jim growled lowly as he shot a final glare at Kate and stormed out the door. He sprinted down the hall, swallowing back the lump in his throat. There was only one thing on his mind. He hated it, but it felt like the only option in his muddled head. He stumbled over his feet as he broke through the heavy door.

Jim didn't stop. He refused to. His legs were sore after making it halfway across the endless campus. His eyes settled on the empty isolated longboat dock. He abruptly halted in front of one of the longboats. He scrambled to unravel the knot holding it in place as his throat tightened. He could barely see. The knot was impossible to untie.

"Jim?"

Jim spun around. He could barely see them, but the recognizable voice indicated that it was Gerard and Vivian. Jim shot to his feet as more heat rose to his face. He could barely breathe. Gerard gradually approached him until the teen could see him clearer.

"Jim, you don't look so good," Gerard said.

Jim tried to think of what to say. The words in his head didn't make sense. They shouted and made his head hurt. He turned to the boat. His breath picked up, despite being a toil. He swung his leg up and kicked the side of the longboat. Jumbled cusses flowed out of his mouth as he continually kicked the side of the boat. After a while, his legs felt weak. The heat in his body cooled down, except for his face, which now mildly tingled.

Gerard walked up to him. He sighed as he gently wrapped his arms around Jim's shuddering body. He swayed with his friend in his arms. At first, Jim couldn't think straight, but the heat remained in his face as he buried it in Gerard's shoulder.

"Told you it was unhealthy," Gerard hushed.

Jim didn't respond.

"It's okay, you don't need to say anything. Just relax."

Jim let in a few deep breaths until he could breathe normally. He sank more into Gerard's body with a long sigh.

"There," Gerard said. "You're doing great."

Jim opened his eyes. Vivian watched from behind with concern painted all over her face. Gerard pulled Jim from his body, but held onto his arms.

"Are you feeling a little better?"

Jim nodded sheepishly.

Gerard bobbed his head. "Good." The alien boy wrapped an arm around Jim's shoulders. "C'mon, let's go back to the room. You should probably get some rest."


	5. Chapter 5

A handful of the various constellations that dotted the holographic map glistened outside of the room. Jim kept his eyes away from the blue micro-robotic lights and instead towards the genuine stars outside. He returned his attention to their instructor, Doctor Wells. The alien woman gestured to the hologram.

"As you may recall me saying before, even as many times as I had just today, astronomy is vital to every one of you," she said as she paced around the visual. "Whether you're a future cartographer, a future space captain, or even a future artist, you all must become educated astronomers."

Doctor Wells flipped on a switch. The blue lights flickered as they zoomed out to reveal artificial nebulas.

"Each constellation, each nebula, and every star is something worth noting while traversing the galaxy, regardless of how far you venture into it, or beyond it."

The professor gazed around her silent class. "That being said, let's begin with the big question: how far does our current technology allow us to travel?"

Kate, who sat a few seats away from Jim, raised her hand.

"Yes, Miss Blake."

"It only allows us to travel within the galaxy, of course," she said. "Although there have been efforts made by spacers to go as far as Andromeda. Unfortunately, they never made it."

"It really is unfortunate. On that note, there was a past technology that existed at a time," Doctor Wells explained. "It was believed to be a shared knowledge between several lost civilizations of how to open portals."

Jim's head perked up.

"Portals?" he mumbled.

"While modern portals are still in the process of being explored, there are still remnants of ancient civilizations that suggest portals were used to transport between different planets. While the technology is lost, it's been speculated that it could appear in a short amount of time."

Jim sat upright. "It exists."

A more than a dozen pairs of eyes snapped back at him. Many of them were confused, aside from the single pair that latched onto him like prey. Doctor Wells paused and blinked a few times.

"Mr. Hawkins, is it?" she asked.

"Yes."

Wells kept silent for a few moments as her forehead creased. "How do you know it exists?" she inquired.

"I've seen it before," Jim replied.

The room was quiet. Those questioning eyes quickly transformed into cynical rolls.

"Prove it."

Kate's eyebrows raised.

Jim leaned back in his seat. "The map to Treasure Planet, seems like it's a normal map with the way it works. You get to there and it leads you to a cliff and says that the treasure's there. Next thing you know, there's a port where you can connect it to the planet's mechanism. From there, you've got a portal to anywhere in the galaxy."

Kate's ears folded. "You're lying."

A smirk crossed Jim's face. "I'm not."

Kate appeared ready to retort, but she quickly let out a breath and turned back around, maintaining her signature inexpressive composure. Doctor Wells bobbed her head.

"Interesting. And you claim to have _seen_ these kinds of portals?"

"Yeah," Jim said.

"I see."

An inquisitive smile crossed the instructor's face. Jim felt himself phase out as Wells approached the front of the room and rambled on about what he assumed to be the topic of intergalactic travel. The striking image of the triangular portal with flashes of other far off places in the galaxy reverberated from his memories. He huffed out a sigh as he heard Doctor Wells dismiss the class. He numbly got up, following behind his peers. His surroundings faded into surrealism, barely tangible. He rubbed his face as he stepped into the hallway.

"You're just overtired," he mumbled to himself.

Jim didn't wince as his hand dropped to his bruised side. The bruises barely throbbed anymore. He strolled down the corridor, increasingly more unaffected by its grandeur. He took a few more steps before another pair of footsteps blazed closer. He didn't bother to turn around. He didn't make an effort to say anything.

Kate said nothing. She proceeded past him without any acknowledgement.

Jim kept his head up as he watched her turn a corner. She stopped part way, turning towards him.

"What do you want?" she demanded.

"Nothing," Jim groaned.

Kate scoffed. "You know, you're not fooling anyone, Hawkins."

Jim huffed as he contained himself. "I'm not trying to."

"Doesn't matter, that technology doesn't exist anymore and whatever you're saying is a misconception," Kate retorted.

"It's not a 'misconception' when I saw it for my own eyes." Jim snarled as his face burned up.

Kate marched directly towards her opponent until she was inches from his face. She squinted at him with flaring eyes.

"Then you're _blind._ "

"Okay, bitch."

A shockingly hard fist slammed itself into Jim's stomach. He choked back on his breath as he stumbled back, close to crumpling to the ground. He grunted at the immense pain. The heat surged through him as he caught his breath and drew up his own fist. He stumbled for a moment, prepared to launch his fist at the seething girl.

"Enough!"

Jim stopped midway and spun around. Those same dozen eyes from his class, as well as more added from possibly another one, gawked at him. An assertive figure parted the swarm of adolescents. Admiral Carson's eyes landed directly on Jim as he marched closer. By instinct, Jim leapt to attention as quickly as Kate did. Carson came to a halt before them.

"I expected more out of you two," he flatly murmured under his breath. His eyes pierced deeper into the teens as he said, "I'll escort you two to the Dean's office."

A solid hand landed on Jim's shoulder as he was directed down the hall. Eventually, Carson's commanding hand let go, allowing him to walk freely. Jim followed beside the admiral. He kept his eyes away from Kate as Carson drove them out of the building. The tension during the walk flared. The throbbing in Jim's stomach warped with an uncomfortable fluttering. He maintained a vacant expression even as they passed through the main building.

Down a few more elaborate halls, the students were introduced to a pair of doors. Carson stopped Jim partway.

"Stay here," he said. "She'll come for you when she's finished with Miss Blake."

"Yes, sir," Jim replied.

He stood in place as Carson led Kate towards a lofty white door. After she entered the room, Carson closed it behind her and advanced the other direction. Jim saluted his superior. The admiral nodded and carried on down the hall.

Jim stood there, motionless, for what felt like hours. His sense of time became warped in a matter of minutes. Questions erupted in his head, becoming more frantic and ruthlessly hollered nothing but self-demeaning phrases. The painfully familiar memory of his mother's face, worn and tired after seeing him arrested again, made itself obvious in his head.

"Mr. Hawkins."

Jim blinked a few times as Kate strode past. The teen looked to the side to see that Kate left the door open. Jim hastily approached the door and stepped inside.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Captain Amelia sat at her desk with her hands folded in front of her. Her watchful eyes latched onto the cadet as he entered the room. Jim stood for a few more moments before Amelia held out her hand and gestured to one of the wooden chairs in front of her.

"Take a seat, it might be a while," she said.

Jim hesitantly sat down across from her. Amelia hummed.

"Admiral Carson, respectable fellow," she started. "He was one of my instructors when I attended this institution. It's interesting that he found a student that _I_ recommended starting fights."

"Hey, I—I didn't—"

Amelia held up her hand. "I'm not interested in hearing the same story, Hawkins. I had a very similar conversation with Blake."

"Captain," Jim interrupted. "I—I didn't want to start anything, it just—"

"Again, I'm not interested." Amelia snapped. She leaned forward on the desk. "I've come to understand a fairly, well, aggressive nature between both Blake and you. Many of your instructors have come to me about the interactions the both of you have been having. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Jim waited a moment as he let the message sink in. "Yes, ma'am."

"Alright." Amelia resumed sitting upright. "Hawkins, I know you're a completely capable student and will make a fine spacer, but you, as well as Blake, must learn to cooperate. I'm not asking either of you to become friends, I'm only asking for the both of you to tolerate each other. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," Jim replied.

"Will you show me that you understand?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Excellent," Amelia added. She plucked up a cup and saucer from her desk. "I would like to see you, Hawkins, but not under these circumstances. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good." She took a sip from her cup. After a moment she glanced back at the teen. "What are you still doing here?" she asked with a light smile. "Get out of here, you have studies to attend to."

Jim got up from the chair. Before he walked out the door, he turned back to the captain, returning a small grin.

"Thanks, Captain."

* * *

A/N Hey everybody, sorry this took so long, been swamped with a lot of projects lately. If I disappear for a while, it's probably because of school. I've got some cool news though. I'm going to start posting my art for this fic on my Tumblr (nordy-draws-stuff, the link will be on my profile). I'll also post updates on there included with my art :) You're also more than welcome to send me asks. Thanks again for your patience and support. Expect to see the next chapter up tomorrow because you guys deserve it!


	6. Chapter 6

Jim leaned back in his seat with his arms crossed. Gerard sat to his side, scribbling down the information from his textbook. When he looked to his other side, he swore he saw Kate glaring him down for a moment, like she had multiple times during past three months of classes. She remained poker-faced even after he turned back to Gerard.

The notes on Gerard's paper changed, as the notes from his textbook were set to the side. Jim peered over the boy's shoulder as he caught glimpses of words. "Vivian," "cute," "sweet," "beautiful." Jim smirked as he realigned himself. Gerard's head snapped to the side with wide eyes.

"Uh, please don't tell me you read that," Gerard said with a quivering voice.

Jim shook his head.

"Oh, thank the stars!" Gerard breathed.

There weren't too many students lingering around in the library, possibly since many were in class. Jim stared down at the astronomy textbook laid out before him. He ripped his eyes from the book as they strayed to the glass dome. He felt a nudge at his shoulder.

"Looking at the stars again?"

Jim nonchalantly shrugged a shoulder. "Yeah, I guess."

Gerard looked up as well. "Well, Jim, we'll be going there soon."

As the two boys gazed up at the endless illuminated space, they were both brought to the attention of books slamming on the table.

"Just what you asked for, Gerry," Vivian said, leafing through the top book. "Three volumes on astronomy written by Hans Fischer, another on the lost planets in our galaxy, and two on botany."

Gerard shot up with a gleeful smile. He ran to Vivian, picked her up, and swung her around.

"Oh, thank you so much, Viv, you're such a gem!" he cried as he set her back down.

"A gem?" Vivian giggled as she straightened out her glasses. "What interesting terminology."

Jim's face brightened at the sight of the two aliens chattering about literature, but again, he noticed Kate staring at the three of them. Jim rose from the chair, walked over to her table, and took a seat beside her. Kate kept her nose embedded in the astronomy book.

"Okay, what's your problem?" Jim demanded.

Kate's eyes snapped from her book. "I would ask the same of you, but I have studies to attend to." She reverted her awareness to the book.

Jim rolled his eyes. "Are you _trying_ to make this harder?"

Kate continued to ignore him.

"Okay, seriously, why do you hate me so much?"

She didn't respond.

"Is it because you think you're _better_ than me?"

Kate slammed her textbook down and swung around to face the other teenager.

"If it's a fight you want, then I'll give you a fight," she hissed.

Jim's eyes morphed into a glare. "Is that what you want?"

"I don't, but clearly _you_ do!"

Both of the teenagers catapulted from their seats, each harshly glaring the other down.

"Why do you keep accusing me of this crap?" Jim asked.

"Why don't you follow exact protocol?" Kate returned.

"Why does that matter to you so much?"

"Jim? Kate?"

The blood-boiled students faced Vivian. The library assistant had her hands on her hips.

"This is a _library_ and your impudent quarrel is _not_ appreciated."

Kate pushed past her seat, neatly sliding it to the table. She picked up her textbooks before shooting a final glare at her classmate. She wordlessly strode to another section of the library, where she proceeded to sit and resume her work. Jim huffed out a breath through his nose.

"That's better," Vivian hummed. She neared Jim and cupped her hand over her mouth. "Could you please try to keep civil with her?"

"That's asking a lot," Jim grunted.

He stomped back to the table by Gerard, dragged the chair out, and sunk into it. He slouched a little as Vivian ambled back to the table as she once again lavished compliments on Gerard. As Gerard returned with memorized sugary poems, a sudden shadow flooded the room. Jim pushed the chair back as he stood up. Vivian glanced away from Gerard before her eyes expanded. She patted Gerard's chest, forcing him to look as well. His ears folded and he wrapped his arm around the small girl. Jim turned around to see that the other students were gawking at the glass dome. Jim raised his head. He felt everything inside of him sink.

A colossal galleon soared overhead. It registered as a large fleet vessel, untypical for the Academy, yet not impossible. But then the flag that proudly danced in the Ether claimed otherwise: a Jolly Roger.

Sirens blared overhead. A distorted voice shouted over speakers: "Students, report to the bunkers! This is not a drill! Students, report to the bunkers!"

The dozens of students left in the library scurried to the nearest exit. The instructors followed behind, anxiously ushering them out the doors. Gerard held onto Vivian and shoved Jim as he hurried past. The alien boy spun around.

"C'mon, Jim! Get moving!"

Jim bolted from the chair as he followed behind his peers. He was about to reach the door, before he noticed Kate rushing towards him. She slammed into him and they both crashed to the ground. Jim sat up, somewhat disoriented, but noticed Kate rising to her feet. Jim leapt up.

A crash radiated from the glass dome.

Glass shards rained down onto the hardwood floors as ropes with various rugged aliens slid down them.

Kate backhanded Jim's shoulder and gestured him to follow. He went behind her, sprinting nearly as fast as she did the pirates neared the ground.

The halls were empty and the lights had been cut, leaving Jim and Kate in near darkness. Jim looked back at Kate, who in return put her finger to her lips and motioned to another corridor. Jim replied with a nod. The scrambling footsteps behind them grew louder. The pair kept close to the walls, stepping as soundlessly as they could. Kate's ears perked up as the furious stampede drew closer.

"Where are the bunkers?" Jim whispered.

Kate pointed decidedly. The two slunk down the remainder of the corridor until they reached another wing. Jim's focus landed on one of the halls that he recalled led outside. He took Kate by the arm and started to drag her down that hall. A few feet down, Kate wrenched her arm from his hand.

"What are you doing?" she harshly murmured.

"I'm getting us out of here," Jim countered.

"They'll _see_ us if we go down this way!"

"Maybe they won't. If everybody else could get out, so can we."

Kate looked back. She paused for a moment. She returned with a scowl and sighed. Jim held out his hand, which she hesitantly took.

The charge of the pirates drew closer.

The teenagers fled down the hall, not even bothering to stay silent at this point. Jim gripped Kate by the hand, despite her running at the same pace. They dashed down the remainder of the hall until they were met with a giant wooden door. Jim scampered to pull it open while Kate joined him. The door jolted open and clacked loudly. The clamor from down the hall prompted both of the students to burst out.

Outside. Exposed. The shouts of several pirates and the thunderous clanking from the galleon's machinery echoed throughout the campus. Several other ships, academy ships, surrounded the massive vessel. From the ground, hundreds of the military instructors shot their laser rifles at the incoming swarm of pirates. Jim swore he could hear Amelia's voice commanding from a distance.

Jim's head darted around until his eyes landed on the second nearest building. He took Kate by the arm. She tugged her arm free and ran alongside him.

Blood hammered through Jim's body. He kept glancing back as he saw the pirates messily filing out of the previous building. Kate grabbed him by the jacket and they dove behind the building. Kate peered over him. She pointed to the half open door. Jim nodded in response and followed behind as they entered the building.

Again, it was dark, but this time, Jim heard something creep past. Both cadets froze. The steps approached. They suddenly stopped and Jim could finally make out a familiar figure.

"Jim? Kate?"

Jim and Kate almost simultaneously let out their held breaths.

"Gerard, what're you doing here? Didn't you take Vivian to the bunkers?" Jim asked.

"I took her to the bunkers, but I ran back to get the both of you."

Kate cursed under her breath. "You should've followed protocol," she snapped quietly. "That aside, we need to keep going!"

The rugged voices of pirates drew nearer. The trio instantly fled down the hall again, this time not bothering to keep quiet. They threaded between the tens of hallways in the behemoth building until Kate shoved both of the boys into a classroom. She quietly closed the door.

"Get down, both of you!" she commanded.

"What the hell are you doing?" Jim harshly whispered.

"Just get down!"

Gerard sunk down onto the floor. Jim faced Kate as his muscles tightened and his face heated up.

"Kate, no! We're not staying here! They'll find us!"

"They won't," Kate snapped. "Now get down and shut up!"

Jim huffed out of his nostrils. "They saw us, they'll find us in here."

"Not until they pass through," she said.

"Both of you hush up and let's figure this out together." Gerard intervened.

"Think you're both so smart?"

Jim didn't want to turn around. He knew that voice. That voice complimented him over a month ago. That voice asked for the map. That voice was right behind him.

He heard someone grunt and watched as a massive alien hoisted Gerard up. Kate pushed past Jim to free him. A pair of arms wrapped around her and held her back. She struggled mercilessly.

A knife appeared at Jim's throat.

"I knew I'd be seeing you again," the girl hissed in his ear.

The girl's grasp was terribly strong. Jim could feel potential bruises already flourishing under his sleeves.

"Tie them up. Captain Alvar will want to see them!"

Something forced a bag over his head. He felt ropes pinch his skin and a hefty shoulder push into his gut. He flailed around in hopes that he would get the pirate to drop him. Without luck, he heard the whirring of the longboats. Gravity indicated that they were rising. Indecipherable chattering between dozens of husky voices suddenly went silent.

Jim was hurled onto the ground. A burly hand whipped the bag off of the boy's head. Jim instantly looked to his side, where both Gerard and Kate remained in a similar state, both bound by the hands and thrown on the floor.

Footsteps in heavy boots clacked against the wood.

Jim's head spun to the front again. A tall, sturdy human man with a long red coat and wild blond hair gradually approached the three students. He scrutinized them all, before his sharp brown eyes landed on Jim. He stared down the teenager. Jim repaid the man with an unforgiving glare. The man huffed out a single laugh.

"Looks like you're all going to be quite fun, aren't you?" he cooed.

Jim's glare intensified. The man stopped before him with a crooked smile that revealed a golden tooth.

"I think you're going to be the most fun and helpful," the man said.

He patted Jim's head while he turned around to face the rest of the crew.

"Tonight's a grand night, gents," he announced. "As your Captain, rum's on the house!"

Cheers erupted from the crowd. The Captain lowered his hands and ushered the pirates to settle down.

"This is only the first part of this victory," he continued. "But first thing's first throw these pests in the brig with the other one."

"Aye."

"My pleasure."

Jim was grabbed again, half carried and half dragged to the belly of the ship. He didn't falter in his attempts to get free, but the inhuman strength of the alien made it obvious he wouldn't be getting away. A smaller alien scurried to a large door with a barricade and lock. She pulled up the barricade and unlocked the door. Gerard was thrown in first, followed by Kate. Jim was the last to be tossed in and he landed hard on his side.

He sorely stood up, stumbling as he watched the door shut. He ran to the door and slammed into it. He struck himself against it a few more times before wearily dropping to the floor. His head flooded with unanswerable questions and incomprehensible feelings. He lowered his head as the message sunk in.

He felt something fiddling with the ropes strapped around his wrists. He stared back in horror, only to see Kate.

"H—how did you—"

"Oh, Hawkins is here too? Just, great!"

Jim cringed at the voice he knew too well. He rolled his eyes.

"Let me guess, Ryan Williams."

"Oh, now he's being a shit, great!" Ryan moaned.

Kate slapped the back of Jim's head. The teen looked back as he drew his throbbing, freed hand to the back of his head.

"Don't push your luck, Ryan." Kate growled.

Ryan held up his hands as his eyes expanded twice their size.

Jim stayed by the door, even after Kate walked away.

* * *

A/N Hey there guys, just wanted to let you know if you want to see any of the scenes from Galaxy of Glass illustrated or even made as a mini comic, feel free to pm me or send me an ask on my Tumblr (link on my profile). Hope you all enjoyed!


	7. Chapter 7

The dim brig was barely lit by the slivers in the wood. The musty prison made each breath less tolerable. Jim let out a cough inflicted by the stale air as he rolled onto his side. Gerard sat not too far away with his arms crossed and his body racked with chills. Kate casually leaned against the side of the ship, glancing around stone faced at each of her peers. Ryan's lip pouted as he glared at everyone. His igneous eyes fell on Jim and remained there for a while before he looked to the other side. Jim slowly sat upright as he stretched out his aching back. The wooden floors were unforgiving, but sleep would take him regardless.

"How'd you sleep?" Gerard asked quietly.

Jim rubbed the base of his back. "Rough. You?"

"Ack, terrible!" he replied. "I didn't know that floorboards were this unbearable, but they definitely are."

"What're you both complaining about?" Ryan snapped. "You're both navy cadets, first years too. A soldier doesn't bitch about this."

"Ryan."

All heads swung around to the girl casually fiddling with a fragment of rope. Her amber eyes drifted up at the boys as her lips curled into a snarl.

"Maybe you should stop commanding when you're not a superior officer," she said roughly.

Ryan tensed up. He huffed out through his nose, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

"Alright then, Blake. Alright then," he said as he backed away.

Ryan stormed to the back of the brig. Jim glanced at Kate, who had returned to fiddling with the rope strand.

"Hey, Kate…"

Her harsh eyes snapped to the side.

"…Just…thanks."

Kate paid attention to her rope as she untangled it from her fingers.

"No need to thank me," she said. "It's nothing major."

"So? Still, never seen you do something like that for me."

"Ryan was being illogical and was trying to start a fight," Kate responded as she dropped the rope on the floor. "He's always been like that, even at Poseidos."

"Yeah?"

"It's normal, trust me."

"Yeah," Jim said. "You're telling me."

"Huh, Ryan was pretty passionate, talking about you," Kate said.

"Oh, you've got to be—what the hell did he say?" Jim asked.

Kate chuckled. "You don't want to know."

Jim groaned as he slid onto the floor. "He probably told you everything." He mumbled.

Kate followed along and sat on the floor by the other teenager. "I'm assuming not, and that some of it's his bias," she sighed.

Jim's eyes strayed to her. He opened his mouth to ask her what she meant, but shut it again as he crashed back into the wooden wall. He rubbed his weak eyes.

"Still tired?"

Jim opened his eyes again. "Yeah, it's nothing. I'm fine."

"Are you?" A hint of emotion hit her voice for once.

Jim laughed as he leaned forward. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

Suddenly, loud footsteps thundered from the other side of the door. The teens' heads swiveled to the door as metal chains clanked outside. Jim froze as he heard the bolt slide roughly. The door creaked open as a monstrous silhouette loomed. Behind the creature were two other aliens, each holding a whip in hand. A pair of glowing orange eyes swung between the teenagers until they landed on Jim. Jim's chest heaved and fluttered. The hulking alien pirate lumbered towards him. Jim shot up. He glared intensely at the pirate. His fists clenched. The pirate stopped before him and chuckled as he showed off a set of dagger-like teeth.

"Tough one, huh?" he growled with a grin.

Jim's glare hardened. The pirate's hand shot for his arm. Jim wrestled to free his arm. Each struggle resulted in a tightened grip, until the teen could barely feel his arm. Jim felt himself hoisted off the ground. He kicked at the alien's chest.

The alien stopped. His other hand rose in the air and plummeted towards Jim's face. Spots dotted his vision as one side of his face ached. Jim felt his limbs swinging. When he could see again, he noticed that the door was bolted again, but this time he was on the other side of it, as were the pirates with the whips. His head pulsated. His eyes fell on the stairs, dizzying him more with each step the pirate took. The pirate stomped onto the deck.

A door creaked open.

"Ah, excellent."

Jim was suddenly thrown into a seat. A pair of rugged hands held onto him as he furiously writhed.

"They weren't wrong; you are a fighter."

Jim's head snapped to the source of the voice: a tall human man with wild blond hair. A vibrant scarlet coat fell over his slim physique, adorned with small intricate designs on each button. Jim instantly recognized him as Captain Alvar. He proudly lifted his head as he looked down upon the teenager.

"Remind me, what's your name?"

Jim tensed up with an intense harsh stare.

Alvar knelt down in front of the teenager. "I heard your name multiple times, but please remind me of it."

Jim spat in his face. The man shot up with his large hands to his face. He hurriedly wiped the saliva from his face before he glowered at the boy.

"So that's how it's going to be."

Jim's scowl toughened.

Before he could retort, a hand hurtled towards his face and his vision went black for a second. Jim swayed a little as he returned his gaze to the irate man. He unsteadily sat upright as Alvar leaned forward, propping his hand on the back of the chair.

"Refuse to answer my questions and there'll be more of that, you got it?"

The boy remained silent.

His captor eyed him watchfully as he stood back upright. "Now," he started. "You're the boy who found the map to Treasure Planet. Am I wrong?"

Jim snarled, but nodded.

A smile formed on the pirate's face. "Excellent. If that's the case, then tell me, where is it?"

"It was destroyed," Jim said.

The exhilarated grin on Alvar's face dropped a little. "No, it's not."

"Yes, it was."

The pirate lifted his hand and smacked the teen over the head again. Jim lost his breath. He felt something warm and that smelled metallic ooze out of his nose. The fuming man grabbed him by the chin and tilted his face towards his.

"Tell me the truth! Where is it?"

"I told you, it was destroyed! With the whole planet!"

The pirate's fingers dug more into Jim's chin.

"You think messing with me is a joke?" he asked aggressively.

"You wanted the truth, I gave it to you."

The pirate let go of his chin as another blow hit Jim's head. Jim's temples throbbed mercilessly. He slumped in the chair as he watched blood drip onto his white trousers. He lifted his sore eyes as Alvar asked him another question. Jim mumbled the same response.

"The map…planet…treasure…destroyed…"

Alvar cuffed him hard enough to throw him off the chair. Jim remained sprawled out on the floor. He could barely open his eyes and when he did, the burning light of the cabin stung them. Alvar grabbed Jim by his hair and screamed in his face. The pulse that ravaged his ears made the screaming barely audible. Alvar dropped his head back to the ground and shouted something to the side.

Everything felt numb and disconnected. Jim closed his eyes for a moment, only to see the darkness of the brig once again. His eyes fell again as pain ripped through his bones and coldness engulfed him. He stayed still as his eyes cracked open.

He was on the floor again. Everything was blurry and reeling. The teen let his eyes close again and savored the peace. His thoughts became very incoherent as words muddled and became incomprehensible. Visions made his head pulsate more.

He felt something shaking his shoulder.

Jim tiredly opened his eyes and turned his head as much as he could.

Kate grabbed his arm. "C'mon, you need to sit up for me."

It took a few seconds for the message to settle in. Jim struggled to sit up, but Kate's hands guided him upright.

"Okay, now I need you to try to stand up."

Again, he made efforts to stand up. His knees trembled. He didn't realize how much he weighed until this point, but it was enough that it made him drop onto Kate's shoulders. He heard Kate saying something to him, but it didn't make sense. The words became distant noise. Jim felt himself being lowered onto something hard, but more pliant than he remembered the floor being. Something was thrown over his body while something soft was placed behind his head. He felt something wipe at his nose as well.

The dark took him for an incomprehensible amount of time. He savored it, despite occasionally feeling the extreme discomfort of his injuries. Something tapped at his shoulder. He groaned as he opened his worn eyes. Kate hovered over him, this time with small bruises on her face. She disappeared for a few seconds, only to seemingly reappear with her hands cupped.

"Drink."

Jim felt a hand behind his back as it propped him up. Kate tipped her hands to his lips. Jim let his mouth crack open, as much as his strength could muster. The lukewarm water poured down his throat. Kate pulled her hands away as the hand behind him gently let him down.

"Is he gonna be okay?" a voice asked that Jim eventually registered as Gerard's.

"With time, yes." Kate responded.

After the ringing in his ears subsided, he closed his eyes.

Time became incomprehensible. Kate would softly shake him awake to either ask how he was feeling or give him water. This went on for a countless number of times, each one becoming more coherent. Eventually, he was able to keep his eyes open, and then he could hear well again. After residing in the barely conscious world, Jim sat up with a hand to his aching forehead and blankly gazed around the brig.

It was just as dark as it had been before. The other teenagers were gathered around, mumbling amongst themselves. Jim propped himself up enough to push off of the ropes tangled beneath him. He swayed once he was on his feet, but caught his balance along the side of the ship. Gerard rushed to his side and instead of helping him up, aided him in sitting down.

"Whoa, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" Gerard exclaimed. "Just stay here until you can walk, got that?"

"Wh—what happened?" Jim asked.

Kate stood up as well, leaving Ryan to himself. She knelt in front of Jim and brushed back his hair.

"Those bruises are still there," she muttered. "But they're looking better." She was silent for a while before she added, "And you're fully conscious and making stupid decisions for yourself."

"Thanks for the compliment," Jim replied with a straight face.

Kate nodded. "And you're back to sarcastic commentary. Despite that, you're definitely healing."

"Doesn't answer my question," Jim said. "What happened?"

"Those pirates pummeled you senseless!" Gerard shrieked. "More than they did with any of us."

Jim squinted. His eyes widened when he noticed some faint marks on his peers, especially the ones on Kate.

"W—what did they do to you?"

"It's nothing," Kate replied shortly. "It's part of being a spacer, pirates can abduct you and interrogate you."

"So that means they beat you all too."

Gerard nodded. "They got you the worst though, Kate and Ryan got cuffed Ryan a good amount. As for me, well, I didn't have any crucial information."

"Information?"

"That's not important," Kate interjected composedly. "What's important is your survival."

"Wow," Jim snidely chuckled. "You actually care about me?"

Kate stood up and tugged at her jacket. "Don't get used to it."

As she walked away, Gerard got closer to Jim.

"You know, she really did help you out. A lot."

Jim leaned forward as a dizzy spell temporarily reverberated in his head. Gerard held out his arms, but Jim shook his sore head.

"I'm fine."

Gerard pouted. "Lies."

The alien boy tried to assist his friend to lie down again, but Jim remained sitting up.

"Gerard, I'll be okay," he said lightheartedly.

"Of course you say you are, but those bruises say otherwise."

Jim rolled his eyes as he let Gerard help him back down.

"Don't give me that, loser," Gerard said.

A laugh escaped Jim's dry lips. "Thanks, nerd."

"It's a pleasure." Gerard rose to his feet and stretched out his back. "These wood floors, I tell you!"

Despite time being impenetrable at this state, the pounding in Jim's head ceased surprisingly fast. During that span of time, his peers, aside from Gerard, were distant. Ryan kept to himself, speechless most of the time, unless he was bickering with Kate. Kate usually brought Jim whatever food or water the crew would throw into the brig. The food was usually stale and tasteless, but nonetheless it was something. Gerard kept Jim the most company, either babbling about books or how much he missed Vivian.

There came a point where Kate allowed Jim to stand up on his own. It took him a few steps to regain his balance after being confined to the tangle of ropes for the undetermined amount of time. Once that happened, Kate urged the other teens to gather around.

"It obvious, but now that everyone's doing better, we need to find a way to get off this ship," she said.

"Have you thought up anything?" Gerard asked.

"I had a few ideas, but they were all impossible."

"How were they impossible?" Jim leaned in closer.

"First of all, we need to get out of this brig. As demonstrated, the crew on this ship is very experienced and has possibly abducted various other Imperial officers. Not to mention that the man captaining this ship seems to have a good grasp on avoiding Imperial ships, at least according to what I've overheard his crew saying."

Ryan folded his arms across his chest. "So, this means we need a stupid miracle to get out of here?"

"Unless there's an Imperial ship, we need to keep thinking this over. Consider everything, we need to—"

An aggressive slam to the side of the ship sent Jim flying. He slammed into the other side of the ship and rolled onto the floor with a groan. He sorely launched onto his feet. His peers, also thrown across the brig, were more alert than before. Jim unsteadily hurtled to the brig door. Another rock of the ship slammed him against the door. He clutched the iron bars and peered out of the small window.

Distorted figures with cutlasses, pistols, and various other weapons seized the ship. Several shouts erupted from either end of the ship. The large pirate that nabbed Jim from the brig was slashed with a cutlass by a semi-translucent figure. Captain Alvar's voice hollered out garbled commands. The galleon vigorously rocked again. Jim sprawled out onto his back with the breath knocked out of him.

A shadow loomed over the door to the brig. The barricade was lifted and the lock clicked. The door swung open. Jim nearly dropped his jaw.

"Silver?" he exclaimed.

The cyborg burst through the door and swung his arm.

"C'mon, lad!" he called. "We ain't got much time!"

* * *

So hey

I haven't posted in a while. But now that I'm done with this past semester, traveling (which took up all of June) and now that progress has been made on my original work, I decided to finally post again! Also, shoutout to those of you who are new here, hope you're enjoying the story so far. Big thanks to those of you who have been so patient waiting for updates!


	8. Chapter 8

Howdy there, it's me, your boy. It's been a while, huh?

Since I recently got notifications that people were still reading this story (which thanks everybody you're all fantastic) I thought it's about time I told you all about this.

I haven't really posted since about a year ago, which is, yikes. But there have been a few reasons why. Some of it's due to moving thousands miles away from where I grew up, another part was going to a new school with a very intense animation program that's TOTALLY worth it. There were many other factors, but two of them stand out the most.

First one is about my laptop. Shortly after moving, my laptop started acting weird to the point is was so slow, and eventually would barely boot. I couldn't even factory reset it, so after finals at school, I brought it to a shop where they said my SSD was completely shot. Luckily I got it repaired and it's been working flawlessly, which it's a 6-year-old laptop and it can still run my heavy duty video editing and drawing software. But that came with a price.

I usually back up my files, but unfortunately, not all of my files were safe from the inevitable SSD crash. I checked my Google Drive, and luckily found a file of Galaxy of Glass on there, but only written up until the last chapter I posted and a few paragraphs of the next one. All of the other documents filled with my intricate planning, formatting, etc. were lost in the hard drive purge. So that was a hard lesson learned.

Then comes in the second factor, because while it may sound like a crisis to lose those files, I kind of saw it as a good thing. I was really struggling with where to go with this fic. I had plans that eventually didn't work out or that I wasn't too happy with. Plus, I wanted to really explore and dig my hands deeper into the sandbox than I was in the original fic. I've had some ideas that got better with time and that I found more enjoyable than my original concepts for Galaxy of Glass.

With that, I've decided to rewrite Galaxy of Glass. A lot of the same core themes and some of the OCs will definitely return, but there will be a lot of narrative differences at the same time. I want to make it more polished, better edited, and most of all, more of a creative exploration. I also aim to format these better to be a series with a few fics that follow a cohesive arc, while still being an engaging sci-fi adventure. I also wanted to play with the worldbuilding, character interactions, and what else is out there in the Etherium. So in short, it might be a tad more AU than the original Galaxy of Glass, but I really want to play with the possibilities at this point.

I've also debated whether or not I should write the fic and post it here again, or make a side Tumblr dedicated to the fic and post it as a webcomic, since I usually tend to be a stronger visual storyteller than literary storyteller. I'm a little stuck between the two, but if I do choose to write the fic and post it here, I will still probably make a side blog on Tumblr for posting brief comic adaptations and hell, maybe animated clips to practice my animation.

With that, I'm going to post a poll on my main profile, so feel free to vote on that. Also, reviews and PMs are welcome for any other feedback or suggestions about the updated fic.

Last but not least, I want to thank all of the readers who read this version of Galaxy of Glass, and an extra thank you to the people who left such awesome reviews and PMs, I really appreciate the feedback. I get email notifications so even though I haven't been on Fanfiction lately, I still see all of your wonderful comments. It really makes me enthusiastic to rewrite and hopefully I can give you all something a lot stronger.

Thanks, readers!

EDIT: Thanks to the reader who pointed out the glitch when I first posted this!


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